Monmouth University Social Work students can choose from a variety of electives to tailor their degree toward a specific area of interest or additional credentials.
- Alcohol and Drug Counseling (LCADC)
- Practice in Groups
- Aging Populations
- Social Innovations
- Trauma
LCADC Licensure
There is an increased demand for social workers overall, especially for employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, with a projected growth of 18% from 2022-2032 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Students interested in pursuing the credential needed to work as a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) are able to satisfy the required coursework and 1,000 hours of field placement as a built-in component of their MSW program by:
- Taking Clinical Practice Addictions course (SW 604) as an elective
- Adding Addictions Considerations (SW 603) as a one-credit elective
- Applying field internship hours toward the required hours for this license (Internship must be in addiction treatment.)
A 54-credit student could perform both internships in the area of addictions and earn up to 1,000 hours toward the LCADC while logging hours needed toward their MSW.
For more information on the LCADC licensure process, please visit the Certification Board Inc. website, certbd.org.
Unique Social Work Electives:
SW-513: Social Work Practice in Groups
This course builds on social work practice, knowledge, skills, and techniques and begins by delving into the history of group work in the social work practice. Students gain a deeper understanding of group development and concepts and theories related to group work treatment. This course presents an overall emphasis on empowerment utilizing a strengths perspective and incorporating an ecosystems perspective. Special attention will be given to human rights, social and economic justice, diversity and cultural issues with respect to social work practice with groups.
SW-616: Social Work Practice with the Aged
Designed for students specializing in practice with the aged and their families, as they examine normative and pathological aging personality. This course places an emphasis on the development of specialized knowledge and skills for assessment, intervention, and evaluation of a variety of issues and needs common in later life. Students are presented with discussions on the applicability of certain interventions with the older adult and the family, along with ethno-cultural and gender considerations.
SW-623: Social Innovations
Social Innovations represents a new paradigm that supports development, implementation, and sustainability of transformational responses to social needs and focuses attention on the ideas and solutions that create social value. Through this course, students gain the knowledge of strategies of change, as well as the strategies and processes of social innovation and social change. Students will examine case studies and best practice analyses, as well as several individuals and groups who have catalyzed important positive social change through different organizational platforms.
SW-642: Empowering Adults with Acute Stress and Trauma
This elective course is designed for students in the advanced year MSW program and examines the variant experiences of acute stress, crisis, and postcrisis adults may face when exposed to trauma in their life. Students will utilize theory and empirical data to assess human behavior, as well as unique experiences of trauma from a micro, mezzo, and macro impact level. A strengths-based, empowerment-focused paradigm is introduced to help students conceptualize biological, psychological, cognitive, and social factors as they influence human growth and development.
Graduate Certificates
A graduate certificate in Play and Expressive Therapies and a post-master’s certificate in Clinical Social Work are also available.
For more information about the MSW program at Monmouth, feel free to call 732-571-3453 or email us at swstaff@monmouth.edu.